The Breakdown

I love it when I make new buds! Somhrita left a comment a couple of weeks ago about that amazing Nine West sale, and it didn’t take long before we were going back and forth on Twitter exchanging fashion ideas and recipes (my two loves). Somrhita picked up those kick ass over-the-knee boots at the sale and requested that I do an outfit post on how to wear them. I immediately thought of Rachel Zoe, queen of the over-the-knee boot, and figured I’d do a celebrity look for less.

The Breakdown

This Cartier Panther ring is “wildly” popular amongst celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Olivia Wilde, Kristen Stewart, Rachel Zoe, Leighton Meester, and more. Most celebs that own this ring have been caught wearing their Panthere De Cartier on several occasions because it is so versatile, as seen on the red carpet and more casual looks above. I love how the open mouth of the panther wraps around the finger and the jeweled eyes are amazing!

This ring is so pricey that it is “unlisted” (call for more info) at the Cartier website; however, I did find elsewhere that it retails for $20,300 at Cartier boutiques. If this is indeed the price tag for the panther ring, then you can get the Steal for $20,270 less than the Real – for only $30.00 at ShockBoutique.com. I don’t think we’ve ever had a Steal the Real with a savings this huge; however, I’m not sure that I can consider this “savings” when I don’t actually have $20,300 to spare, haha. At least I can look like I do :) Also, The Looks For Less readers can save 25% off their entire Shock Boutique order with promo code SHOCKTWEET.

Welcome to day 3 in our weeklong HandbagHeaven.com Steal the Real series. It seems as though the style of handbags is moving from the hobo – with a pile of pockets, buckles, and snaps, to a more simple and structured style, as evidenced by the Hermes Birkin. This is another one of those, the list of celebrities that “don’t” have this bag would be a lot shorter than the list of celebrities that “do” have this bag. Celebs that love this bag include Rachel Zoe, Olivia Palermo, Hillary Duff, Ashley Olsen, Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian, Janet Jackson, and the list literally goes on and on and on.

The Hermes Birkin comes in a variety of colors and materials and range anywhere from $7,000 – $10,000! Can you believe that? You can get the same look at HandbagHeaven.com, also available in brown, for only $56.95, for a difference of $6,943 – $9,943 from the Real!

Update: This contest is closed to further entries. Thank you all so much for entering!!! Our commenter Ying was selected at random and chose the Cropped Leather Moto Jacket, which I LOVE. I want one for myself! Check back for another contest coming soon!

I’m so excited to bring you a fun giveaway from my newest sponsor, Shock Boutique. In addition to specializing in on-trend apparel at affordable prices, Shock Boutique’s stylists will also show you how to put together an entire head-to-toe look, based on what’s hot right now. Last week it was music festival style, and this week, Rachel Zoe inspired looks for less.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, then you know I am BAH-NA-NAS over Rachel Zoe’s style (check out The Zoe Effect). Shock Boutique is celebrating Rachel’s most iconic trend-setting looks with 7 days of Rachel Zoe Looks for Less. They even have a model dress up in the entire outfit so you can get an idea of how all the pieces come together. If you’re also a fan of Rachel’s style, Shock Boutique is giving away an item from their Rachel Zoe lookbook to one lucky reader.

How to win: (required – once) Simply select the item of your choice from Shock Boutique’s Rachel Zoe lookbook that you would like to win and paste a link to that item in the comments section of this post. It’s that simple and so fun! I DIE for all that Shock Boutique has to offer. Entries must be in by midnight May 11th and one lucky winner will be selected at random on May 12th. US residents only please.

Additional Entries:

Tweet This Contest: (up to once daily) tweet this contest using the Twitter button below for additional chances to win. The tweet must include @theLooksForLess to qualify (this will be automatically included using the button below). Twitter does not allow me to search older tweets, so please comment to this post with a link to your tweet. To get the link, click on the tweet timestamp (ex: 4 hours ago).

As you all know from my Zoe Effect, I love anything and everything Rachel Zoe delivers to my inbox in her Zoe Report (and her Zoe Project on Bravo, and her affordable fashion line on QVC, and… the list goes on).

Rachel recently posted a special edition of the Zoe Report, “The Not-So Basic Guide” to 20 wardrobe essentials. Some of her basics were affordable, some… not so much. Instead of picking up the essentials she suggested, I decided to select my own, using her guide as just that, a “guide”, and I did it all for under $100. Lucky us to get advice from “the” pro. I hope to add each piece to my wardrobe over time. I got a head start by picking up the black lace blouse last week and a biker jacket for my Zoe Effect.

When Rachel Zoe launched her first ever Zoe Report she shared a leopard print pump that was unreal! The Brian Atwood heel was impossible to replicate, but that wasn’t enough to stop me from posting a leopard Steal the Real. I am in love with the Nanette Lepore Hot Lovin pumps! LOVE!!! They are available from PiperLime.com for $395. The Steal is the Rampage Victory pump from Endless.com for $49.95 for a difference of $346!

There are minor differences between the pumps; however, the colors are exact and I actually prefer the fabric covered heel of the Steal so that the pattern shows on both sides of the shoe. Rachel’s styling tips for this shoe are, “the eighties punk-meets-luxury aesthetic will bring your little black dress to life. The pumps are also perfect for upgrading a more casual look (think: dark skinny jeans, a tee and tuxedo jacket), so don’t be scared to rock them during the day.”

Oh, the time has finally arrived… well, almost. I can hardly wait any longer. In her own words from The Zoe Report:

“As a little fashion birdie may have told you (twitter or otherwise), my collection of accessories and clothing with QVC is set to premiere October 10th. Although this is my first foray as a designer under my namesake from start to finish, I have been subconsciously crafting this collection throughout my career. Rachel Zoe for QVC is a natural progression of my vision to make glamour accessible for all women.

To show my loyalty and appreciation to The Zoe Report subscribers, it was important for me to give you a chance to pre-order three pieces from the collection before the line debuts in its entirety next month. It was nearly impossible to hone in on this trio of items, as the entire collection is very close to my heart, but I know you will love this Faux Fur Vest, Snake Embossed Clutch and Double-Faced Sequin Clutch (both with removable straps) as much as I do. As with all of the items comprising Rachel Zoe for QVC these pieces are largely inspired by my obsession with the 60s and 70s fashion. I’m so excited to share the full line with you, so please tune into QVC October 10th at 1 PM EST for my collection’s complete debut. See you there :) xoRZ”

Did you catch the season premier of the Rachel Zoe Project? I’ve watched it 3 times since it premiered on Monday! I know I’m a bit obsessed, but she is Bananas. The premier featured Rachel dressing Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Cameron Diaz, Anne Hathaway, and Demi Moore for the Golden Globes. Because of the economy, designers aren’t willing to ship dresses as a “maybe” option for a celebrity. With only one option per celeb, it has to work.

Of course, it can’t be that easy! Bring on the fashion emergencies. One day before the awards show, Eva’s Dior dress was shipped to Chanel and Cameron’s Chanel dress, that Rachel so bravely had modified, didn’t arrive until the day of the awards show! Here’s a look at the final result on the style stars. Catch the drama Mondays at 10pm on Bravo.

If you follow me on twitter, then you already know that I am slightly obsessed with all things Rachel Zoe. Celebrity stylist turned fashion designer Rachel Zoe is set to launch an affordable fashion line for us recessionistas and I will be pacing until it is launched. She single handedly brought Nicole Richie from fashion don’t to fashion icon and I’m pretty sure she’s responsible for the big sunnys, big purses, and big accessories as she’s been quoted saying, “less is not more”.

When she’s not busy styling Hollywood’s hottest celebs like Cameron Diaz, Mischa Barton, Keira Knightley, Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson, Lindsay Lohan, and Anne Hathaway (the list goes on), she is selecting “Rachel Zoe Picks” for PiperLime.com, filming her highly rated Bravo television series The Rachel Zoe Project, and now designing an affordable fashion line. Where does she find the time?

According to People.com’s “Style Watch”, Zoe’s clothing line is described as “vintage-inspired, [and] affordable”. Zoe said of her line, “It will be absolutely, 100% accessible fashion for sure — for everybody. There’s no reason for me to do a luxury-level design. That’s not who I am. I don’t think it’s what people want from me. I think that I would need to give people that fantasy becoming a reality. That’s my job.” The line will include clothes, jewelry, handbags and a fragrance. As new details emerge, you’ll hear it here first.